About

The Education Research Section (ERS) is an interdisciplinary unit within The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs that promotes the use of research in education decision making. As part of our mission we seek to conduct and promote high quality education research through the use of experimental and quasi-experimental research designs, and to disseminate the results of such research to educators, policy makers, and the public in order to improve the quality of education at all levels.  The Education Research Section was founded in 2002 by Cecilia Rouse, former dean, The Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Jennifer Jennings, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs is Director of the Education Research Section. The faculty associates of the ERS come from a diverse set of disciplinary backgrounds, including economics, psychology, sociology and demography and are working on an equally broad set of research topics. Among these are:

  • the effectiveness of technology-based programs in schools
  • supplemental education programs
  • admission policies on minorities in higher education
  • state-level education reforms on student outcomes
  • the relationship of income and health on schooling, and education and criminality

A common theme of this work is the application of rigorous research designs to important policy issues in education.

Jennifer Jennings

Princeton’s Program in Teacher Preparation celebrates 50 years of service through teaching. Jennifer Jennings, a Teacher Prep alumna who joined the Princeton faculty in 2017 as a professor of sociology and public affairs, delivers her keynote speech, “Be the Early Worm: Reasons for Educational Optimism in Uncertain Times.”

Photo credit: Princeton University, Office of Communications, Mike Schwartz (2019)